Goodnight, Starshine
by SlytherinGirl0220
Summary: Veruca's POV as she tours the factory...and her life after the factory, and her little girl crush on the man who owned it. based off the Johnny Depp and Tim Burton version R&R! rated to be safe! warning: character death
1. Part I: Touring the Factory

(A/N: this story just randomly popped into my head one day. I'm currently obsessed with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that is becoming unhealthy. I've watched it way to much. So anyway, read and review, pretty please! Enjoy! Oh yes…and I only own the plot line of this story…nothing else…not the characters or the factory. So don't sue me!)

This story is about one bratty little girl and a truly magical chocolate factory. I just happen to be the bratty little girl, but I've seemed to grow up quite a bit. My name is Veruca Salt, and I am one of the five children who got to visit Mr. Wonka's Chocolate Factory. It happened not so long ago. I was just a small, bratty and very spoiled child who got a Golden Ticket. I didn't care about it. To me, it seemed nothing special. I was so used to getting my way that it was nothing new. But going to visit that factory changed my life.

I was eight, nine, or ten. I can't even remember. I guess it's not really that important. I was spoiled rotten when I heard about the tours through the chocolate factory and the Golden Tickets. As soon as the news reached my ears, I made my Daddy search through every box of Wonka Chocolate Bars for days and days until he found a Ticket. Finally, he found one. But it was no big deal. I was used to getting my way after all.

When the day came to go to the factory, I was bored and uninterested. I had to get up early to go to wherever the factory was, and I hated getting up early. But once me and Daddy got there and we waited outside the huge gates, I became so excited and anxious that I couldn't bear it. Finally, the gates opened after what seemed like an agonizingly long wait. I ran into the huge courtyard in front of the towering factory. I was so excited I could barely contain it. Little did I know that what awaited me beyond those gates was more that I could have ever dreamed of.

After a strange puppet show, Mr. Wonka finally appeared. But he was not on the throne on the stage like I had expected. Instead, he was standing right next to me. He wore huge sunglasses, much too big for his face, and had a strange haircut. Plus, he was really, really weird.

"Good morning, starshine. The Earth says 'hello'!" he said. I had no idea what that was even supposed to mean, so I just stared. All of us did. Violet smacked her gum loudly, annoying me to the core. I really disliked her. I almost wanted to pull all of her blonde hair out and wrap that stupid gum around her loud mouth.

Mr. Wonka pulled out note cards, reading them off and saying what he was supposed to say. He seemed so awkward. But there was some part of me that liked it. I had no idea why and I mentally kicked myself. I hated boys. They were icky. Plus, he was a man, probably old enough to be my father! Yet there was something about him that wasn't adult at all, some part of him that was still a child. He seemed sweet inside, like the candy he made. My childish mind was so confused.

We walked into the factory and it was so warm in there. I couldn't tell if it was just me or if it was the actual temperature of the factory. My cheeks and face were red, I could tell.

Mr. Wonka told us to throw our coats anywhere, and then follow him. We did just that.

"Mr. Wonka, I'm Violet Beauregarde!" Ugh. That girl made me angry beyond angry. She hugged him and chewed her gum like a cow chews grass, loudly and disgustingly.

"I don't care," he replied, making me smile to myself. He hated her! I walked in front of him.

"I'm Veruca Salt, very pleased to meet you, sir." I said, curtsying and smiling delightfully, seeming to be an angel on the outside. I tried my hardest to hide the devil that ruled me on the inside.

"I always thought a veruca was a wart you got on the bottom of your foot," he replied, laughing awkwardly. I almost wanted to cry, but I just frowned at him. I couldn't cry in front of all these people! He turned to the others and spoke to them, and I hardly heard him. All I could hear was the insult he had said to me ringing through my ears.

We got to the huge room, a candy paradise field! A huge chocolate river was flowing all around it and huge peppermint sticks, lollipops, any candy I could dream of was there. It was a dream come true! He told us to enjoy ourselves and thankfully I forgot all about him…until that nasty Violet brought him up. We were sitting by one of the candy apple trees, eating our sweets. She turned to me and smirked.

"Hey, do you think Mr. Wonka's weird?" she asked. I suddenly went all red and really didn't want to talk about him.

"Yes, but he's a genius as well, so far as I can tell." I replied, licking my lollipop. She laughed. It was one of the most annoying sounds in the entire world.

"You have a crush on him, don't you!?" she asked.

"That's disgusting!"

"But its true. I can tell, you get all tongue tied and –"

"I DO NOT!" I shouted. I stood up and walked away. I saw her lean back against the huge candy tree and smile, taking a bite out of her candy. I huffed and walked farther away, until I bumped into someone. "HEY!" I yelled and instantly regretted it. I looked up and saw Mr. Wonka. Suddenly my tongue felt too big for my mouth and my cheeks got very red.

"You really should look forward while you're walking, little girl." He said. He side-stepped around me and walked away, leaving me staring after him. I must have had the strangest look on my face.

"Veruca, darling!" my father said. I turned and smiled at him. My tongue suddenly felt normal again and I could actually speak.

"Yes Daddy?" I replied, smiling up like a sweetheart at him. He smiled back and took my arm.

"Come, darling. Mr. Wonka has something to show us." He replied. I followed him and once we met up with everyone else, Violet came to stand next to me.

"You have a crush on Mr. Wonka," she sang in my ear. I glared, not at her, but ahead of myself. I tried to ignore her jeering and was failing miserably. I couldn't help but think about Mr. Wonka. He was a child at heart, I could tell, and I suddenly realized why girls liked boys. It had never made sense before. Boys were icky and gross. They looked different and acted different. They had cooties! But for Mr. Wonka, I felt different. I didn't care if he was a boy. It was all happening much to fast for my opinion, and for my mind to keep up with.

Suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts, Augustus fell into the huge chocolate river. The idiot! His mother cried out and I rolled my eyes. He was going to drown and I found I really did not care. Mr. Wonka seemed rather angry that Augustus had been so clumsy as to fall into the river. Probably because he was touching the chocolate and getting all of his gross germs in it, he said something about how it can't be touched by human hands. That really stunk for Mr. Wonka, but even more for Augustus.

The fat boy was rescued, well…sort of. He went up into a pipe and his mother went to rescue him with an oompa loompa. Those creatures…well, people, as Mr. Wonka called them, were terribly strange. They scared me and yet they fascinated me at the same time. We moved on with the tour on a huge boat that came to us from the chocolate river. It was pink and shaped like a dragon! I really wanted one, but I kept that to myself. For some weird reason, I just didn't want to sound spoiled, which made no sense since I had no clue I was spoiled. I just thought I got my way all the time, it was expected.

We got to the invention room and Violet cornered me again. I don't really know what we were standing by, but she came up to me, smacking her gum as if she were the ruler of the world. She smirked at me, hinting she knew something I didn't.

"You have a crush on Mr. Wonka! It's so obvious!" she said, still smacking her gum. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks, but I rolled my eyes, playing coy. I did NOT have crush on Mr. Wonka! The very thought of it was revolting!

"I don't know what you're talking about! Maybe you're crazy," I replied. She glared at me and chewed her gum with an angry look on her face.

"Pa-lease! It's so obvious! I wouldn't be surprised if he already knows…" she said, walking away with a smirk on her lips. I gasped against my will, and she turned and smirked at me again, her face saying 'I win,' all over it. UGH! She disgusted me! Yet…she also slightly intimidated me.

"Shut up," I replied, "I do not have a crush on him and he does NOT know,"

"Whatever you say." She said, actually walking away this time. Stupid little brat! Ugh!

When she became a blueberry, my life was just short of being complete. I laughed like I had never laughed before.

After that, we walked to the nut sorting room. It was rather pointless, except for the squirrels! They were so cute and so much more exciting than any of my other pets. All my other pets were just normal. I wanted a squirrel and I wanted it NOW! The spoiled part of me took over.

When Mr. Wonka said no to me, I got angry. I crawled through the gate and all the squirrels stopped what they were doing to stare at me. They watched with their huge dark eyes as I tried to grab one. Once I reached my hands out and was so close…they went crazy! They all pinned me down and one knocked on my head. I was a bad nut. When I flew down that garbage shoot, I cried. The first time in my life, I actually cried.

That was when I changed. I realized it was stupid to want everything in the world because no matter how much you have you're still going to want more. Once I got home, after that emotional day, I took a bath for a long time…just thinking. Mr. Wonka had to have had a reason for inviting us all to the factory. I decided right then and there that I would go back when I was older. I vowed to myself, no matter how much it hurt…I would go back…

(A/N: sooo what do you think so far!? R&R!! please? The next chapter is even better I think! : )


	2. Part II: Coming Back

(A/N: so this is the second and last part of the story! Veruca is much older, and she visits the factory again to find more surprises than she ever imagined!! R&R!!

p.s. I own none of this…with the exception of the plot of this fan fic.)

I went back, eventually. The factory looked the same, almost. I walked through the gates into the huge courtyard of the factory. I knocked on the doors and they opened. No one was there, but it still opened. I walked in, and looked around. The temperature as the same, the entry room looked the same too. I threw my coat on the floor, as I had done many years ago. I then walked to the door that lead to the chocolate room and opened it. The world of candy reveled itself before my eyes once more, but with a slight change. Powdered sugar was falling from the sky…it looked just like snow. It was chilled like snow and it melted into my hair.

I must have looked so different than the first time I came to this place. My brown hair was no longer curly, but straight. I was much taller and not dressed up like some snobby, spoiled brat. I had on an old pair of jeans and an old sweater. I spun around slowly and sat down on the candy grass. I just sat there for a while, just staring ahead and taking in the factory, just thinking. Until someone said something…

"Veruca?" the voice said. I jumped and turned, but it was not Mr. Wonka that had spoken.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Veruca, it's me, Charlie. Remember?" he asked. Charlie? Who was Charlie? "Charlie Bucket. We toured the factory together. Don't you remember?"

"OH!" I said, shocked. "I didn't recognize you!" I explained. He was much taller. He was wearing Mr. Wonka's coat and his hair was longer than it was a long time ago. His face also looked older. "Where's Mr. Wonka?" I asked. He sighed and glanced down at his hands. "Charlie?"

"He…he's passed away," Charlie said. I felt my heart fall into my stomach and a lump rise in my throat. The terrible feeling spread to my eyes and tears started to well up. I no longer held the power to control my tears, and I burst out sobbing.

"I…I'm sorry," I said, laughing sheepishly and wiping my cheeks and eyes. I finally got control of myself and looked up at Charlie. "I…I don't know what…when did he die?" I asked, sniffling.

"About two years ago. He died happy though, if it makes you feel a little better," Charlie said. I sat down on the ground once more, wiping my tears from my cheeks. Charlie sat down next to me. "He died when we were brainstorming. He was laughing and all the sudden, he was quiet. He was smiling and was staring ahead. He muttered something about you coming back. He said 'take good care of her. And take good care of the factory.' Then he just closed his eyes." Charlie explained. Tears were silently pouring from my eyes once more.

"He knew I'd be coming back?" I asked. Charlie nodded. I looked down at the chocolate river below us. Charlie grabbed a ladle from his coat pocket and dipped it into the river, then handed it to me.

"Chocolate makes everything better," he said. I took a sip and smiled, sighing.

"I haven't had chocolate since the visit here," I said. It was true. I couldn't eat chocolate without thinking about Mr. Wonka, so I gave up on trying. "I could barley look at it without him popping up in my mind. Like he was following me,"

"You really liked him, didn't you?" Charlie asked. I smiled and took another sip of the chocolate.

"Yes. I think I was infatuated by him…or something like that," I replied. "The way he acted, how brilliant he was," I felt tears well up in my eyes once again. "Wow, I'm an emotional wreck, I'm so sorry," I said.

"Don't worry, I was a wreck when he died. It was so hard to deal with. I always thought he'd live forever. I never believed the day would come where I would be running the factory without him to guide me," Charlie explained. "He wasn't even that old. It was so sudden. The oompa loompas were so sad they could barely work,"

"How didn't I know this? Wouldn't it be in the news?" I asked.

"I wanted to keep it quiet. Willy really hated attention. He preferred to be left alone when it came to the public," Charlie said. It made sense. He had isolated himself for a very long time. "Do you want to go for a boat ride?" he asked suddenly. I looked over at him and smiled.

"I'd love to," I replied. We got up and walked across the sugar dusted grass. I heard a familiar banging of the drum and I smiled at the memory of the last time I'd been on that boat. I climbed in next to Charlie. The oompa loompas all smiled and tipped their heads in a nod, greeting me. I smiled at them and sat. Charlie glanced at me before he motioned the oompa loompas to row the boat. We came to the tunnel and the lights turned on. We sped down the huge drop. I smiled and closed my eyes, letting the memory take over me.

Once the drop was over, Charlie turned to me. "Where do you want to go?" he asked. "you can chose anywhere,"

"Where did he take you after I left?" I asked. He smiled and waved the oompa loompas to turn left. We sped along the chocolate river and once we stopped, I recognized the huge glass elevator that stood in front of us. I saw Charlie, Mr. Wonka, and Charlie's grandpa in it when I was leaving the factory all those years ago. Charlie opened the door and we both stepped inside.

"Pick a room," he said. There were so many to choose from. I didn't think it would be possible to just pick one, until I found one I liked. It was labeled _Mr. Wonka's Room of Randomness._ I pressed the button and we zoomed off. "You picked a good room," Charlie said to me. "I've never seen it,"

"You've never seen it?!" I repeated, amazed. I couldn't believe that he'd been living in this factory for almost ten years and he hadn't seen all of the rooms. But then again, the factory was rather huge.

"No, I haven't. Willy always went in there though, to think about things. We each had our own room for that. To brainstorm when we weren't brainstorming together, if you get my drift," Charlie explained. "He said one day I'd get to see it. I guess today is that day,"

When we got there, Charlie pulled out a huge ring of keys. He opened the lock and pushed open the door. He flicked on the light switch and we both gasped. The room was huge and colorful! IT was full of random things, like stuffed animals, papers, pens, candy, toys, and pictures…EVERYTHING! Anything you could imagine you could find it here! I walked around and found a huge stack of paper with writing all over it. I sighed and grabbed a book on top and flipped it open. I thought it would be full of his secret recipes, but I was wrong. It was full of poems. Poems HE had written. None of them were about chocolate…well some were but most of them weren't. I read some and wanted to cry. They were so beautiful.

"Charlie, come here," I said. He put the huge stuffed bunny he was holding down and came over to me. "He wrote poetry," I said. He grabbed the book from my hands and read.

"Oh my…he did! He was great at it! These are amazing!" We both turned to grab more books. I found a folded piece of paper in one, and I opened it. I began to read…

_My Dear Veruca,_

_If you have found this letter, I am gone. I heard from one of the oompa loompas that you would be coming back to visit this place. I know you have changed. The oompa loompas didn't have to tell me that. This factory changes people. You are no longer the spoiled bratty bad nut you once were. I just wish I could be there to see that._

_Charlie promised me once that he would do anything I asked of him. I know, before I die, my last wish I ask of him will be to take very good care of you when you come back again. I know he will make that wish a reality and he will do it beyond expectations. _

_I shall miss you, Veruca. Good luck._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Mr. Willy Wonka_

_p.s. Goodnight, Starshine. The heavens say "hello."_

That, for the first time, finally made sense to me. I sniffed and wiped the tears that began to stain my cheeks. My head had both been healed and broken at the same time. I never saw Mr. Wonka as someone who could take anything but candy seriously. But now…now I saw him in a whole new light.

"Veruca, are you alright?" Charlie asked. I turned to face him, sighing shakily.

"He knew. He knew I would be coming back. He knew I would pick this room and I would somehow stumble upon this letter. He knew," my voice broke and I broke down sobbing. Charlie wrapped me in a huge hug. My body was shaking uncontrollably. Charlie let out a sniff and I could tell he was crying too. "I barley knew him, but I miss him so much," I sobbed.

"I know,"

"He was the one person who could make candy magical, Charlie. I never gave it a second thought until I came here and met him," I sobbed. Charlie ran his hands through my hair, trying to calm me down.

"Come on," he said, once I stopped sobbing. We got into the elevator once more and Charlie pressed a button. There was nothing written to identify it. We zoomed off once more. We zoomed to the left, then up, then to the right. The elevator stopped and we came to a room that had two oak doors. Charlie pulled out a shiny new key and opened the door. Inside, there was a much smaller chocolate room. It was almost the same as the other one, except there was a chocolate headstone in the middle of the candy grass field. Peppermint outlined it and frosting wrote out the epitaph. I walked over to a chocolate rose bush and picked some, then I walked over to the headstone. It read:

_Here lies Mr. Willy Wonka_

_Beloved chocolatier and friend_

_May he rest in peace. _

I knelt down beside the grave and sighed, trying to blink back the tears threatening to spill over the rims of my eyes. I was really getting sick of crying, and I didn't want to ruin this moment by doing so. Plus, it was a silly reason to cry for someone who wouldn't want me to be crying. I let out a sigh and set the roses down. I got up and began to walk away, but at the last moment, I turned around and glanced once more at the gravestone. Charlie was waiting outside for me, so I had as much time as I wanted. I decided to take advantage of that time. I walked back to the grave stone and sat down next to it.

"Wow, okay, I've never really done this before. No one I know has ever died. I guess I'm still spoiled in that area, up until now." I took a deep breath, fighting back tears once more. "Look, I know I barely knew you. Charlie must have known you so much better. But I still can't get over that you're gone. I never thought you would ever leave, you know. It seemed like you were Santa Claus, a childhood hero, that no matter how old you got, you would never die," my voice was breaking at this point. I sighed and tried to control myself. Tears fell down anyway, and I didn't try to stop them. "I really missed you. Since the day I met you I was a huge brat,

"But you know I'm different now. I wish you could see me. I'm kind of pretty. I moved out of my house when I turned eighteen, my parents were really messed up. Mr. Wonka I miss you so much," I said, trying to control the fits of sobs that were clawing at my throat, begging to be released. I sniffed and wiped my cheeks and eyes for the millionth time that day. I got up and left, but before I opened the doors, I turned to look back at the grave. "Goodnight, Mr. Wonka." I said. I walked out and Charlie greeted me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"You alright, Veruca?" he asked. I sniffed and wiped my eyes, smiling sadly at him.

"Not really," I replied, truthfully. "But I will be." We got into the glass elevator and he took me to his house in the chocolate room.

"Mum, dad," he said. They came down the stairs and smiled. "This is Veruca," he said. I shook their hands and smiled. Tears still stained my cheeks. "These are my parents,"

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"You were one of the girls who found a golden ticket, weren't you?" Mrs. Bucket asked me. I nodded and smiled.

"Yes, I was such a spoiled brat back then," I replied, laughing.

"Will you stay for supper?" Mr. Bucket invited. At this point, there was no way of saying no. They were such delightful people.

"Please," I replied. Mr. Bucket pulled up another chair to the table and we all sat down. Mrs. Bucket had made turkey and mashed potatoes. I hadn't, in my entire life, had a home cooked meal. My parents had a chef who made gross, foreign dinners. When I lived alone, the only thing I could afford was TV dinners.

"Mrs. Bucket this is delicious," I said. She smiled kindly at me.

"Thank you dear." She replied. She was just like one of those mothers you would see on TV. She was super sweet, very pretty, and I could tell she was very loving. Plus she made the best meal I had ever tasted.

Dessert was great. It was a huge chocolate cake and it tasted like a slice of heaven. I eventually decided I would have to stay the night. It was much too late to get home.

I slept on the soft cotton candy pillows that Charlie put down by the chocolate river. I felt like I was lying on a cloud made of sweet smelling sugar. I fell asleep almost instantly…unaware of what the night would bring…

(A/N: What did you think? Sad? Yes, its very sad. The next part is happy though. R&R!! Please!!)


	3. Part III: Never to Return

(A/N: the last part of the story... how horribly sad. Thank you for all the lovely reviews!! They made me so happy!! Keep reviewing! Oh, yeah, and I own nothing but the plot!! Enjoy!)

I woke up in the middle of the night. I thought I heard someone calling my name. I sat up, and looked around. Suddenly my eyes came upon something that almost made me scream.

There, sitting cross-legged on the bridge near me was Mr. Wonka! He smiled and waved at me. I couldn't believe what was going on!

"M-Mr. Wonka?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah!" he replied delightfully, making me stand up and stumble away.

"This has to be a dream! You…you can't be here! It's impossible!" I said. I had to be seeing things.

"Nope! You're not dreaming…well at least I don't think you are! But I need to talk to you, 'kay?" he asked. He sounded just like I remembered which both delighted me and scared me to death. "I know you're sad about me dying, but you don't have to be," he said.

"It's not like I'm sad because I feel obliged to be. I can't help it," I replied, slightly annoyed. I suddenly began to sound like the spoiled brat I once had been.

"Did you let me finish? No you didn't! So from now on, just let me finish, 'kay?" he said.

"Okay, sorry,"

"Oh good. So anyway…Charlie is going to take care of you. You're welcome to stay here if you want. But you don't have to. If you stay, you can help Charlie take care of the job of creating new, super delicious, extra yummy candy!" Mr. Wonka said. I sighed

"So, if I stay, I can brainstorm with Charlie?" I asked, just to make sure I was hearing things correctly. Why would I ever chose to go back to my old life? My old life was full of hardships, boredom and nothing meaningful. I hated it more than anything.

"Yep! Plus, you get all the scrumptious candy you want!" he said with a small laugh.

"Mr. Wonka, of course I want to stay! Why would I ever want to leave here?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know. Maybe you're crazy and I just don't know it!" he said. "So you're staying then?"

"Please," I replied.

"Oh boy! Well, my business here is done." He said. He got up and started to turn to walk away, but I stopped him.

"WAIT! MR. WONKA?"I called. He turned.

"Yeah?"

"I've always wondered…what is the life span of an oompa loompa?" I asked. Out of all the random questions floating around in my head, I had to ask that one! He frowned at me, probably thinking why in the world I would ask him such a silly question.

"What a strange question, little girl," he said. "They live forever," he answered. He smiled, turned and walked away. There was a flash of a bright light and then he was gone. I sighed and lied down on the cotton candy. That was the last time I ever saw Mr. Wonka.

……………..

I woke up the next morning and sighed. The cotton candy was a lovely smell to wake up to. I turned over and saw there was a letter on the pillow next to my head. I yawned and sat up then opened the letter. Pieces of chocolate tumbled out all over my legs. I smiled and read the note.

_Dear Veruca,_

_Last night, I left you, and this world, forever. But I couldn't leave without one last, more meaningful goodbye. I can't seem to sound the same way in real life as I do in my letters, so I decided to write you a loving goodbye._

_It was great to see how much you changed. You were very right, you look more than pretty. Beautiful is a better word to describe you. Yet you looked so very sad. Please don't be sad for me and about my dying. I'm in a much better place now. A place filled with chocolate and sunlight. A place so much better than the dreary world I left behind._

_Now, I must inform you that you should expect some more visitors. They all need to come here and realize something; life is much better when you live with a little pure imagination. We all need to face reality from time to time, but it makes it a whole lot easier if you have chocolate and magic, don't you think?_

_Well, I must go. But remember, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll always be there to listen._

_Love,_

_Mr. Willy Wonka_

I smiled sadly and ate one of the chocolates. It tasted so good, like it had fallen from heaven. I sighed and closed my eyes, savoring the taste.

Charlie and I became great partners in crime. I had a lot more creativity than I ever thought possible. Plus, the candy we made was a huge success. I never thought it possible! But here, even the impossible is possible.

The others did come to visit, but none of them cried when the found out Mr. Wonka had passed. They had all grown up. Violet was normal looking and not blue any more. She didn't chew gum anymore either. Mike had shrunken back to normal size and looked somewhat handsome. He wasn't as bratty or obsessed with TV. Augustus had grown into his once massive body. He also looked rather handsome.

Everything was well. I talked to Mr. Wonka when I needed to. Sometimes I swore I could hear him laughing. I was content. I missed Mr. Wonka, but there was something about the factory that felt like he wasn't really gone.

For once, I was happy, truly happy. Mr. Wonka had shown me real happiness. Real happiness lies in pure imagination.

(A/N: YAY! Hehe. Yes, it's a bittersweet ending. I miss Mr. Wonka as much as she does. I did steal that pure imagination thing from the first movie, but it worked didn't it? I hope it did. So R&R!! please! Reviews make me so happy!! Thanks for reading guys!)


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